Home Group Study Questions // March 15th
What Would Jesus Say Session 8: Blessed Are The Percecuted
Matthew 5:10 — “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Read Matthew 5:10-12
- It doesn’t sound like a blessing to us that we would ever have to face suffering of any kind, yet Jesus closes the beatitudes with the shocking statement, “Blessed are those who are persecuted.” How might we define persecution here? What kind of persecution was Jesus speaking about? What is persecution for “righteousness sake?”
- How does Jesus define persecution in verse 11?
- The word persecute means to ‘pursue as an enemy’, to ‘harass’. What kind of Christian persecution are we seeing today? Name some of the reasons for Christian persecution.
- How might we understand the blessing of persecution? What does I Peter 4:13-14 say? What does 2 Corinthians 1:5-6 say? What does Philippians 3:10-11 say? How do these verses help us understand what Jesus is teaching us here?
- Why does every Christian need to grasp the reality of persecution and rejection on account of our faith in Christ and righteous living?
- What is the reward for those who are persecuted? What does it mean that ‘theirs is the kingdom of heaven?” What does verse 12 tell us about this reward?
- How does this Beatitude teach us to live as believers in the world today?
- What new insights have you learned from our study of the Beatitudes? How might these insights apply to your life today?